This Love
by WIWJ
Summary: My second take on the end of the season spoilers. I know I already did one.. but.. heres another! Finished!
1. Lu and Woody

**Lu's point of veiw**

To say the day was getting stranger and stranger was an understatement.

It had started last night, really. Simmons had watched him pace around the precent, watching through doors and windows as they questioned her. Walcott and the cheif had told him in no uncertain terms that he was not allowed in on this case.

That should have been her first clue. Well, second really.

The first clue had come the night before when it looked like the two of them were finally going to take this little relationship of theirs to the next level. She had been sure he was going to ask her too, he was nervous she could tell, but she didn't know why until his cell phone had rang. He jerked his head up from her kiss like he'd been yanked.

She wondered who's ring tone had pulled him away. It wasn't work she'd already heard and rolled her eyes at that one "Bad Boys". The mourgue was the theme from weird science. This was a new one, a kinks song she thought, listening carefully.

"What the hell am I doing?" He had muttered breathlessly looking to the ceiling. At thetime she'd thought he was refereing to his sudden disinterest in her kiss and had moved back towards him.

He pushed her back gently and answered the phone.

"Hey what's up? No of course you can still call.. It's just been a while-." He turned his back to her and walked a few steps towards the dorr. "Hey, what's wrong? It's not nothing, you're crying. What's wrong? What? Okay. Okay I'm coming."

He put the phone down and grabbed his coat from the chair. He hadn't even looked back towards her as he rushed out the door.

Lu grabbed her jacket and followed. He had seemed startled when she caught up with him.

"I-." He had just shook his head at her remorsefully. "I'm sorry I drug you into the middle of this."

"Woody, of what?" She'd asked shaking her blonde head.

"Of.. the dance... of the thing.." He had whispered vaugly as he got into his car. "I have to get to the station."

"I'm coming with you." She had told him frimly opening the passenger door.

"You should stay out of this." He'd muttered. "I was stupid to make you a-."

"What's going on?" He had hastily started the car, his need to get to the station and what ever had occured out weighing his desire for her not to be a part of it.

"I don't know yet." His voice was tense and worried, and the words were the last he spoke unitl they reached the station. He had pulled away when she tried to reach out for his arm. She didn't try again.

Now he didn't seem to notice she was in the room.

She watched him run his hands over her face and look into the observation room where Walcott stood with Santana. Renee shot him a concerened glance.

"Hoyt. You should wait in the confrence room. I'll have them bring her down to you when they finish." He nodded reluctantly, peeling his eyes from the sight of her and wandering down the hall. "I swear one of these times, he's not going to be able to bail her out. That woman's going to cost him his whole career." She shook her head remorsefully. "I hope she's worth it."

"He loves her." Santana said softly. "You do crazy things for the people you love."

Lu Simmons suddenly realized the dance she had unwittingly inturupted. The 'thing' she was in the middle of.

She looked into the interogation room at the brown haired medical examiner as she flipped her eyes to Matt Seely and looked pleadingly at him. Seely shook his red head gently and layed his hand on her arm. Simmons wondered why everyone always rushed to help her.

Seely and Carver opened the door and left her sitting there alone in the room. Simmons took a step forward as the two detectives confered with Walcott.

"So I take it you're the kinks ring tone that stopped him in his tracks?" She said softly, Jordan shot her teary eyes up to the blonde.

"Yeah." She breathed. "'Tired of waiting' if that doesn't tell you I'm not a threat then I don't know what does." She looked down a the table. "Is he here?"

"Walcott sent him away." Simmons told her sharply. "She's trying not to get him all tangled up in this. He's a good cop. Apparetnly they think you're a bad influence." Jordan nodded to the table, never looking up at her. "Maybe you should think about that before you use what ever power you have over him to reel him into the spiderweb you seem to always be tangled in."

Her voice was low, but cold. She watched a slow grin flash across Cavanaugh's features.

"I'm not a threat to you Tallulah. He chose you." Her words slipped out of her mouth in a near inaudible whisper.

Simmons drew herself up stiffly.

"Yeah.. he did." She turned and walked back down the hall way. Past Walcott and the crowd of detectives. She was almost to the door of the conference room when Matt Seely's voice thundered down the hall way.

"She's gone!"

* * *

**Woody's POV**

"She's what?" He pushed back Simmons and started towards the group. "What the hell did you say to her?" He drew his body up towards the other detective protectively.

"Nothing I.."

"Find her." Walcott yelled. "She couldn't have gotten far. Call the morgue and get a team over there." Woody made a move towards the door. "Hoyt! Stay out of this."

"Are you going to arrest me?" Woody looked into the DA's eyes mustering up all the strength he could for the show down.

"Not yet. No." She hissed.

"Then get out of my way." He growled back pushing past her and out the door. He was already to the car when Simmon's ran out in front of it.

"This doesnt' concern you." He told her frantically waving her away from his path. She opened the door and climbed in instead. "Go back inside."

"Where are you going?" She shouted at him.

"I have to find her. She wouldn't go to her appartment. It would be suicide to go to the morgue. She might try to go to-." He looked suspitiously at Simmons. _What the hell wasI thinking_? "Please get out of the car."

She looked at him like he was insane. He reluctantly started to drive. He could hear her rattling off the list of reasons why he shouldn't be doing this as he pulled around the corner, stopping suddenly in front of the morgue. Nigel and Garret would know. _They'd know_.

"What are you doing?" Simmons asked looking from him to the building.

"I have to get to her before they do." He moved from the seat, yelling back at her. "Stay in the car. You have nothing to do with this."

He ran into the building. What had he done? Why in the hell would she call him to help her and then run before he even had the chance to talk to her?


	2. Garret and Jordan

**Macy's POV**

In a way, Garret had been waiting for him to come.

He didn't think it would be so quickly, or so intensly, but he'd known he would come.

"Where the hell is she?" He heard him thundering down the hall towards his office. He jumped up and met him in the hallway.

"Woody?" Hoyt was shaking, his always perfectly tossuled hair was now just messy. The red rimsof his eyes did nothing to hide the fear in them.

"Where is she Dr. M?" He shot Macy a pained look. He stood his ground. "If you won't tell me Nigel will. Nige! I swear to God I will rip this place appart until someone tells me something! They're on there way Dr. M. Tell me now so I can help her."

"Woody calm down!" Lu Simmons jogged down the hallway stopping only when Hoyt's hand came up gesturing that she should.

"I told you to wait in the car." He said coldly. "What is it with me and girls who won't wait in the damn-? Garret please tell me where she is. I need to know she's all right."

"I'm sure she's fine. It's Jordan she runs. It's what she does." Macy was trying to be flippant, but Woody's panic was tangble, it made the air thicker. The younger man was shaking his head adamently.

"No. Not anymore. She wouldn't run.. she promised no more running." He pushed his hand through his hair and paced in short strides up and down the hallway.

"Woody let me take you home." Simmons tried again, reaching out and touching his arm. He learched away ignoring her very presence.

"She would have come to me. She always comes to me." He looked back at Macy. "Why didn't she just come to me?"

Macy looked a Simmons before looking back at Woody's questioning face.

"Oh God." Hoyt had followed his eyes to the blonde, understanding the gesture. "What did I do?" He asked breathlessly. "I ruined everything, didn't I? She doesn't trust me any-. She thinks I think she-." He closed his eyes. "I screwed it up. I never even told her."

"Told her what Woody?" Garret asked firmly.

"She said it. Did you know that?" He looked at Macy. "She said the words. I never.. I didn't say it.." Macy watched Woody's eyes press together tightly. "She doesn't know. She thinks I-." He shot another glance at Tallulah before looking at the floor. "What the hell did I do?"

"Woody wait for me in my office." Garret said softly. Woody looked at him, shaking his head.

"I have to find her. I have to make this right." He whispered. Macy took him by the shoulders firmly looking into the detectives eyes. "I have to tell her."

"Wait in my office." He ordered. "We'll get this figured out."

"I never told her Garret." Hoyt whispered the words like he was being haunted by them. Maybe he was Garret decided.

"Woody." He turned back around to Lu and back to Woody. "Wait for me in my office."

Hoyt nodded and walked down the hall. Macy looked at Simmons.

"I'll take care of him. I'll calm him down and we'll figure something out."

* * *

**Her POV**

Garret was telling Simmons something as Woody wandered into Macy's office. He was wiping his hand over his damp eyes when he dropped into the CME's chair. He leaned forward, holding his face in his hands. He didn't look up or turn on the light.

She tried to stay queit, resisting the urdge to go to him.

He didn't see her. He didn't know she was there until she took a staggared breath and his eyes shot to the corner where she stood.

"Jordan." It slipped so quietly out of his mouth she wasn't sure he'd actually spoke the word out loud. She pressed her finger against her lips. They froze listening to Garret talk to Simmons in the hallway.

His eyes burned into hers. She pressed her trembling lips together and made an invoulentary move towards her before grabbing the arms of the chair and looking towards the hall.

The voices were getting further and further away, until one set of shoes could be heard coming back down the hall. Macy stopped at the door, with out looking inside he pulled it closed and locked it.

Jordan pushed herself forward onto his lap. He wrapped one arm around her waist and weaved the other hand back through her hair. Pulling her lips to his and kissing her. She melted against him when he pulled his mouth away from hers.

He pressed her shaking body into his until her tears were soaking his shoulder. He pulled her closer, muffling her sobs with his body. Stroking his hand from the top of her curls to the small of her back while she cried. He kept his eyes pinched closed, she wondered if he was mad or afraid she'd vanish.

"I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry." He whispered to her. She pressed her palm under his chin running her thumb across his lip to silence him. He moved his arms underneath her and lifted her body to his carrying her to the couch. She let him move her body around his until she was half on top of him and half tucked into the space between him and the sofa back. He pressed her head to his chest until she could hear the frantic beat of his heart. "I was so scared, Jordan. Why did you run?"

"I panicked." She murmered.

"Why didn't you wait for me?"

"Simmons said-."

"She said _what_?"

"Nothing, it's not important. I know now." She ran her hand across his chest.

"I never said it, Jordan."

She looked up at him with her tear filled eyes.

"I love you Jordan. You know that right?" He pleaded.

"Still?" She breathed.

"Always." He promised leaning his lips down to meet hers. "Always, Sweetheart."

"I love you." She whispered to him. "And I do trust you Woody. I do."

"Why didn't you come to me?" He asked sounding defeated.

"I didn't know what to.. I didn't want to.. Simmons said I'd ruin your career and she's right." She choaked out.

"Jordan.." He moved his hands through her hair. "We'll get through this. We always do."

"Woody."

"It always comes back to us. I always come back to us." She nodded into his chest, burrowing deeper into his arms. "I will always come back to you."

"I have to get out of Boston." She murmered.

"We have to get out of Boston. I'm not letting you go again." He told her.

"I'm not taking you down with me." She looked back up at him shaking her head.

"I'm choosing to go down with you Jordan. It's the only way to make sure you get back up." He smiled at her. "We're a team. You and me, remember?."

She nodded at him.

A team. They watched each others back. They held each other tighter. They were all the other had in this world.


	3. Nigel and Seely

**Nigel's POV**

He watched the uniformed cops comb through her office like vultures. Matt Seely ran his hand over his face and looked away.

"They're knee deep in Hoyt's desk right now." He whispered to Nigel. "'Her Majesty of Scorn' is over seeing it herself." Nigel rolled her eyes. "I mean you'd think he shot her dog. Two weeks and she thinks they're married or something."

"It's Woody's fault." Nigel mused shaking his head back and forth. "I don't know what he was thinking."

"He wasn't thinking with the top half of his body that's for sure." Seely shook his head. He glanced back at the team and tried to look disappointed. "There's nothing here!" He shouted over the crowd. "Lets go."

Nigel moved out of his way, as Matt was nodding goodbye.

"They find anything?" Lily said softly coming up behind him.

"There's nothing to find." Nigel grinned. "Not that Seely was looking too hard." Lily smiled nudging him. "They are long gone by now."

"Are you going to tell me how you got them out of here?" She giggled. He raised and eyebrow a her suspiciously.

"I don't know if you can be trusted." He teased. "I hear you're in bed with the district attorney's office." She slapped him in the arm, grinning again. "I hear things."

"Do you think they'll be back before.." She moved her thumb along the edge of her engagement ring. He smiled sadly at her.

"I'm not sure, Luv." He told her. "If I know them, they'll try everything to be." She nodded at him, slipping her arm around his elbow.

"How can they possibly think she did this?" Lily whispered. "I mean Jordan would never kill anyone. Not even a monster like him."

"You and I know that. But think. If she got a kill someone for free card, and could give it to anyone, who would be better suited?" Lily sighed. "She had more than a motive. It was personal, about her and Woody, everything they've been through this year would have never happened if it wasn't for him."

Nigel watched her nod slowly before giving him a curious look.

"Nige? She didn't-."

"It wasn't my job to ask, Lily." He told her honestly. "It was my job to get them the hell out of here." He raised an eyebrow at her before patting her hand and walking away.

* * *

**Seely's POV**

"This is ridiculous." Matt shook his head, watching Lu Simmons rummage through the stacks of files she'd tossed onto Woody's desk. "What are you trying to accomplish?"

"He's breaking the law!" She hissed at him.

"Yeah. For her. It's killing you, isn't it?" He smirked.

"Look, this is clearly and emotional issue for him. He can't be held responsible for his actions. The best way to help him is to bring him home."

"To you?" He raised an eyebrow at her. "Right? I mean that's what this is really about isn't it?"

"You think this is personal? A man is dead." She shook her blonde head at him.

"Look Lulu." Matt sneered. "A bad man is dead"

"That makes it okay?" She stood up and met his eyes. "What is it with this woman that makes people fight to the death for her."

"She fights to the death for us." He told her honestly. "She'd do anything for him. Anything."

"So it's okay to murder someone as long as you do it for love?" She smirked.

"I never said I thought she killed him. I actually don't think she did it." He shrugged his shoulder at her. "Hell, if she did hats off to her."

"You have got to be kidding me!"

"He killed four cops Simmons." Matt moved in on her, getting close enough to feel her breath on his lips. "He almost killed the man she loves. A man you supposedly have feelings for. He escaped from custody twice now. He alluded police for eight weeks the first time. He wasn't some innocent kid!" He dropped back from her. "He was a monster. More power to her if she actually did it."

Lu Simmons clenched her jaw. Matt grinned, this had nothing to do with the murder and everything to do with Hoyt.

"No one in this precinct is going to let you railroad Jordan because she stole _her_ boyfriend back from you." He laughed at her angry face, as he reached down and put Woody's files back in his drawer. Turning the key in the lock before putting it in his pocket. "No one."


	4. Lily and Santana

**Lily's POV**

Lily watched Macy pace back across the room and sit at his desk. He opened the bottom drawer before closing it again. He jumped when she knocked on the doorframe.

"If we'd have been watching, we could have seen this coming." He said softly.

"You think she killed him." Lily let the whispered words move across the space between them. Garret hung his head before turning it to side and looking at her.

"Do you remember how things went down with them? Right after Woody got back? How the two of them just happened to find Riggs? How what ever happened in that garage drove a rift the size of California between them?" He watched her think before she shook her head.

"No. No, Jordan wouldn't do something like that." Garret got up and tugged her into his office, closing the door behind her. "Garret what-?"

He still had a hold of her arm when he turned to face her.

"Lily think! If tomorrow someone shot the man you love, breaks his spirit, and sends your relationship into a tailspin-. Tell me if you got the chance.. if you were caught up in the moment... you wouldn't..." He must have seen her unconscious answer in her face because he nodded and let her go. "And you have ten times the restraint Jordan has."

"Does Nigel think she-?"

"Do you think we're walking around talking about it?" He yelled. Lily widened her eyes at him and dropped onto his couch. "I don't know what Nigel thinks. All I know is he feels as guilty as I do."

"Garret we couldn't have-." She shook her head. "If this is true than we were right about all of it."

"We could have been there for her more." He rubbed his hands over his face. Lily thought back two weeks.

_**2 weeks ago 2 weeks ago 2 weeks ago**_

_Jordan's yelling had pulled everyone out into the hallway. _

"_You don't think I can do this!" She had snapped at Macy taking a step backward. _

"_Jordan it's not an easy thing. Kayla's going to have emotional issues-." Lily had begun. _

"_Don't you think **I** know that?" She had swung her head around, looking at each of their faces. "None of you think I could-?" Lily had seen Woody poke his head out of trace; he walked up behind them. _

"_Jordan, Garret's just trying to-." He had put his hands on her shoulders and she'd wrenched her body away from him. _

"_I don't know you anymore." She had hissed at Garret. Shaking her head at the rest of them, before spinning around to face Woody's heartbroken, concerned eyes. "And you.." Lily could hear the tears in Jordan's voice now. "If I thought I knew anyone it was.." Her voice dropped off. "When am I finally going to learn I can't trust anyone but myself? When am I ever going to learn?" _

_Woody had started to reach for her again but she'd plowed past him into her office and slammed the door. They had all starred at him. _

"_What the hell did **you** do?" Garret had asked turning back around an ushering everyone to go back to work. _

_Only Lily had seen the guilty look that crossed Woody's features. And the way he'd paused in front of her door, pressing his palm against it, before slowly wandering out of the morgue. _

Lily had found out about Woody and Lu Simmons from Jeffery the next day and her hand had flown to her mouth in shock when he'd told her.

Bug had said things seemed even more **_complicated _**than normal. Lily had laughed.

Woody and Jordan were at least together, wherever they were. The morgue jury was hung to Jordan's guilt. Lu Simmons was on the war path. Seely and Santana were running interference. That was pretty damn complicated.

* * *

**Santana's POV**

She had already announced boldly that she was not going to help railroad her friends, but she'd found herself tagging along with Simmons to Woody's apartment anyway. She wanted to _make sure_. She needed to be certain this wasn't an inside job like Seely thought. She wasn't going to let Woody or Jordan go down for something they didn't do.

Now she was standing in Woody's bedroom watching Simmons dump the contents of his dresser onto his bed. Santana had seen the black box bounce across the mattress. She also knew what was inside it.

**a year ago a year ago a year ago**

"_Hoyt I need-." She had stopped cold watching the ring box snap shut as his eyes lifted to hers. "Woody?" He had looked away. "Jordan?"_

"_It's her birthday." He said softly shaking his head and turning the box in his fingers. _

"_She said no?' Santana's eyebrows hit her hairline. She knew since Devan, since the mob thing, Jordan had been waiting for a another chance with Woody. _

"_I never even got to the asking part." He sighed pulling a file out of his "She freaked, started back pedaling faster than Lance Armstrong."_

"_You spooked her Woody that's all." Santana came around to the other side of the desk and sat on it, facing him. "You have to try again." He looked at her for a second, his lips pressed together. "Can I see it?" He turned the box to her and flipped it open again. "You have to try again." She'd repeated softly, as he shut it with a loud click and shoved it back in his pocket. _

"_What did you do?" She asked him exasperatedly, seeing at the regretful look on his face. _

"_Did you need something else?" He avoided, handing her the file he knew she needed and pointing to the door. _

Now she was watching Lu Simmons' hand reach towards the box.

"I knew it." She whispered to the box. "I knew he was going to ask me to-."

"Don't touch that." Santana had vaulted across the room and snatched it out of her hands.

"Excuse me?" Lu looked at her like she was insane.

"It has nothing to do with this case." She said clutching the ring protectively in her fist.

"I know. It has everything to do with me." She smiled knowingly.

"It has nothing to do with you!" Santana snapped.

"It's my ring!" Simmons yelled.

Santana shot her a look that said dream on.

"You are so delusional." She shook her head. "It's Jordan's ring. It's been in that drawer since we were lucky enough not to know you." She hissed locking her fingers down even harder on the box. Simmons face clouded over for a moment. "You thought he wanted to marry you? He doesn't even know you."

"He loves me." Lu shot at Santana.

"He told you that?" Lu looked away and Santana smiled. "No he didn't, because Woody loves Jordan." She held the ring box up to Simmons. "Your just the rebound girl he was screwing until something happened that woke him up."

"So, you're the shrink now?" Lu cocked her head. "Where did you get your PhD?"

"Yeah what a super shrink you are!" She laughed. "Even I know you're not supposed to screw your patients, Tallulah."

"Give it to me. It's evidence." She hissed lunging for it.

"Hell no." She laughed holding the box further away.

"Look Sweetie. I was a detective while you were still in high school."

"I've been here longer." Santana smirked. "And I wasn't sleeping with either one of the 'suspects' so.." She slipped the ring into her pocket and looked around Woody's place. "Okay come on. We're finished here." She said with the same level of authority that Seely had. The uniforms stopped searching the living room. Santana grinned widely, never taking her eyes off of Simmons.


	5. Sydney and Bug

**Sydney's POV**

Some mornings he thought that leaving the Boston Morgue was a bad idea, today was not one of those mornings.

He was standing in his new office in Cambridge when the call came in. When his secretary popped into his office he had looked up, expecting a field call.

A field call here was a car accident, or a little old lady who died at the beauty solon. It wasn't a bloody burnt corps, or dead cops, or a body found in the back of a UPS truck. This was not Boston.

"Doctor?"

"Hillary call me Sydney please." They went through this everyday.

"Sure. Doctor?" He rolled his eyes. "There's a Boston homicide detective on the phone and he wants to speak with you. He says it's an emergency."

Sydney's complexion must have yellowed, because Hillary's face screwed into a puzzled expression.

"Okay." He nodded walking towards her and closing the door.

_It couldn't be? _He watched the news, he knew about Riggs. He knew Woody and Jordan were on the run.

He also knew that he had a lot more information about the aftermath of Woody's shooting than any of the others.

He knew something wasn't right.

Maybe that's why Woody was calling to make sure he kept the collection of evidence he and Jordan had buried.. buried.

"Hello?"

"Dr. Trumaine?" Very defiantly not Woody.

"Seely?" Not who he expected. He was suddenly holding his breath. _They know thatI know. _

"How much do you know?" Matt said in an almost psychic way.

"About Woody and Jordan?" _Play dumb. Lay low._

"Yeah." The tone of Seely's voice added 'you idiot.'

"I'm not sure what you mean." _Dumb, dumb, dumb_.

"There's a detective here, some girl Hoyt got mixed up with. She wants to call you back for questioning." _Oh shit_.

"Questioning?" _I'm going to loose my license_. "I don't understand."

"Sydney. I'm going to tell you this, but I'm hoping you don't believe me. I'm on there side." He whispered. "Whatever you know, it's bad isn't it?"

"I don't believe you." If anyone was going to 'play good' cop to trap him, it was Seely.

"Good. Then you are on there side." Seely chuckled. "And it is bad, huh?" Sydney didn't answer, just let out a heavy sigh. This was why most mornings he didn't miss Boston. "Don't say anything. I'm going to try to cut this off at the source. I'm going to go to Walcott myself."

"Seely?" Sydney shook his head in confusion.

"Doc?" He sounded tired.

"When did you become one of the good guys?"

"Hey! Don't let it get around. I have a bad ass reputation to protect." He chuckled, hanging up the phone.

"Hillary?" The girl stuck her head back into the office. "Call Dr. Martian, I'm going to need to take him up on his offer to fill in. I need to go to Boston."

* * *

**Bug's POV**

"Bug." Sydney caught up with him outside of trace. To say he was surprised to see him would be an understatement.

"What are you doing here?" Bug sneered. "Don't tell me you're Jordan's replacement!"

"I need your help." The man's face was blank.

"What?" Bug's tone dropped to it's usual annoyed tone.

"It's about Woody and Jordan. I know things" Bug was about to question him on that statement until he realized what he meant. He'd helped Jordan on the case that lead them to Riggs. "I need your help."

Bug pulled him into Lily's office and shut the door.

"You know things?"

"I know things." He said again, nodding slowly.

"About Riggs?" Sydney nodded. "I have to get Nigel." Sydney nodded again, sitting down in Lily's chair. Bug threw the office door open and bellowed down the hall towards trace. "Nigel!"

The Brit's annoyed face poked out of the room.

"Would it have bloody killed you to walk back in and-?" Bug pulled him into the room and pointed at Sydney.

"He knows things." Bug told him letting his head bob back towards the ceiling.

"You have evidence against them?" Nigel's face paled even more as Sydney nodded.

"Jordan found a print on the body that we thought at first was Riggs."

"It was Woody's?" Nigel guessed, exhaling loudly into the room. Sydney nodded.

"Woody went after Riggs. Jordan went after Woody." He said softly. "I put the fingerprint in my pocket. No one asked, I never told."

"It doesn't prove anything." Bug said quickly, looking at Nigel.

"Except that they'll cover for each other. It says they'll go above the law, it's as good as a wrap sheet." Nigel sighed. "It's a pattern of vengeance."

"There's more." Sydney put his face in his hands and took a deep breath. "I've covered for them before."

"Bloody hell." Nigel muttered. Bug sat on the edge of Lily's desk.

"Woody's brother was involved somehow in the mob thing." Sydney looked at them, his eyes slipping to Bug. A faint look of betrayal flickered across his always stoic face.

"What?" His voice slipped out from his lips as he stood back up. Nigel looked horrified.

"I'm not sure what went down, or how Jordan got involved. I just know that Woody found out and he never turned him in. Jordan never said a word. I pocketed the phone records. No one ever asked so-."

"Holy Hell." Bug mumbled sitting down on Lily's couch.

"Then there's Cahill case. Woody lied in his reports. The-."

"Stop! Just-." Bug watched Nigel put up his hands before pressing one into his eye. "Sweet Jesus! How in the hell are we going to get them out of-."

"We're not." Bug said firmly. "They can't come back. They can't ever come back. There's no way to clear them."


	6. Woody and Jordan

**Woody's POV**

He was afraid to sleep. For hours he'd just been sitting there in his boxers starring at her curled up on the bed, wondering if she felt safe enough to stay. Wondering if it was safe for him to sleep.

Woody checked the latch on the hotel door, resisting the urge to sleep sitting up against it. Instead he sat at the table opening and dumping out the gray file box Nigel had given them before shoving them down the freight elevator and into a waiting VW minibus and giving the driver a wink, a hundred dollars and a pat on the back.

He rummaged through the contents. There were keys to the car that had been left for them outside the hotel. The hotel where a room had been reserved by someone else, who'd left the key card in the car in an envelope addressed to Ms. Thomson. Two Florida drivers licenses that screamed jail time for anyone involved in there existence, five prepaid Visa Bucks cards, a prepaid cell phone with extra minute cards, a map full of blue dots of safety zones and the one hundred twenty two thousand dollars Jordan had left from selling Max's house last year. Nigel had it out of her bank account, cashed and in their hands with no paper trail two hours before they left. He shook his head, thankful Nige was on there side. Woody dropped the contents back into the box, putting it in his suitcase before locking it and shoving it under the bed. He sat back down, tiredly rubbing his eyes and laying his head on the table.

He dreamed about LA; board walks and home, roof tops and bail. Even in his dreams he was afraid to let her go to far from him. Afraid he'd loose her into the night.

"Woody?" He started to become aware of her hand on his back before he really heard her. "Baby come to bed."

He lifted his head, her hand slipped up his neck and into his hair.

"Hum?" He mumbled leaning back into her firm touch. His eyes finally focused on her face in the dark room. He watched her, taking in the look in her eyes, the worry on her forehead, the rawness of the side of her lip she chewed when she was afraid. He was suddenly very awake.

"What?" She said softly moving her hand across the messy locks of hair that hung oddly from his head. "What's wrong?"

He shook his head silently catching her hand and holding it in his.

"You're scarring me." She said breathlessly. He shook his head again and kissed her fingers. Standing up and leading her back towards the bed. He pulled her down with him to sit. He tried to understand where she was right now. Where her mind was going and if it was planning on taking him along. She brought her hand up and touched his cheek, he pressed into her touch as she spread her palm across the side of his face. "Woody?"

"Tell me you're still going to be here when I wake up, Jor." He whispered cupping her hand in his. "Tell me you're not going to leave with out me in the middle of the night."

Her lips parted softly as he watched the flash of guilt in her eyes. She brought her face to his and kissed him softly.

"Tell me." He repeated, pressing his forehead against hers.

"Woody, I love you." She was hedging and he knew it. "I'm not going to lie to you and tell you the thought hadn't crossed my mind."

"Jordan." His eyes closed and he pressed his hand tighter into hers.

"Woody You're entire future is on the line here." She explained.

"I have no future without you in it." His words were firm and certain.

"That's not true." She protested. "You could go back to Boston; to your job, to Lu. You could forget about me, about Riggs about all of it. Woody-." He moved his cupped hand around her mouth rubbing his fingers softly against her jaw until her wide eyes settled.

"I have no future without you in it." He repeated even more firmly, fighting to keep the tears in his eyes out of his voice. "Don't you dare leave me Jordan. Do you understand me? Don't you dare."

She nodded slowly and he let his hand fall away. She brought hers up to his damp cheeks, brushing them sweetly with her fingertips before moving her lips to his again. He took a shuttered breath and pulled her into his arms and down on top of him on the bed.

"I love you." She breathed, propping herself up on his chest.

"You do?" He said with the faintest hint of teasing in his tone.

"I do." She said nodding.

"Show me." She took in a sharp breath at the sound of his warm voice. He watched her eyes take in his before she made a move.

But then she did. Pulling at the elastic of his boxers and pushing them away. She straddled him. He put his hands on each side of her hips, watching as she pulled her silky nightgown over her head with one hand and tossing it onto the floor in one fluid motion. Her eyes were serous and deliberate. Her touch honest and loving, promising even.

"I love you." She told him again, and then she showed him.

* * *

**Jordan's POV**

She'd been sitting on the edge of the bed watching him sleep for an hour now. Trying to decide between what she thought was best and what she wanted. It wasn't until he woke up and reached across the mattress that she knew she'd already made the decision. She had just been waiting for him to wake up and give her an excuse for choosing it.

His hand twitched a little when all it found was an empty space. She watched with a mixture of guilt and fulfillment as his body pressed up from the mattress in alarm.

"I'm still here." She told him softly laying her hand on his calf. He rolled onto his back and looked at her. "Ye of little faith." She laughed trying to sound like leaving had never even crossed her mind. He pulled her back down.

"Ye of little honesty." He laughed, tracing her shoulder with his finger. "If you weren't thinking about it, you wouldn't have gotten dressed."

"I wasn't really going to." She said softly. "I couldn't if I wanted to."

"Why is that?" He teased leaning his lips over hers.

"You hid the money Nigel gave us." She teased arching her body up to his mouth.

"Apparently I needed to." He said with fake irritation.

"Ye of little trust." She muttered as he pushed his hand up her side, moving the fabric of her shirt along with it. He leaned forward and kissed her hip, slowly moving up her side.

"You're wearing too much clothing." He said firmly, popping open the button on her jeans. "I feel under dressed."

"You are." She squirmed out of her pants.

"Not for what we're going to do today." He told her kissing the edge of her panties.

"What's that?" She watched him smile at how her breath caught in her throat.

"Same thing we did yesterday." He told her moving his hand down her hip and hooking the lacy rim of her underwear and pulling them down. "Same thing we're going to do tomorrow."

"Don't you think we should be working on our case?" She protested all to weakly moving her hands across his bare chest. "This isn't a vacation, you know."

"We'll get to that eventually." He purred moving over her and dropping his lips to her neck. "This is probably the closest thing to a vacation I'm ever going to get you to go on."

Her chuckled turned into a gasp as he moved his lips down her shoulder to her breast. Her hand moved to the back of his head instinctively and she sighed. His face popped back up, grinning at her.

"But if you want to we could stop and-." She pressed her finger to his lips.

"Focus." She told him with all seriousness. His grin lifted to the corners of his eyes and he dropped his mouth back down to her skin.


	7. Nigel and Peter

**A/N I always thought it was weird peter and eddie had the same last name so here they're brothers. maybe that would explain why macy gave him a second chance. also.. if my czech is really bad.. sorry.. i think it's okay but it's been a looong time. Lori

* * *

**

**Nigel's POV**

He drummed his hands on the desk and looked at Santana again.

"It's nothing but circumstantial evidence and a mean motive." She told him in an irritated tone. "But it's enough."

He nodded looking away from her.

"You think she killed him don't you?" The woman asked quietly.

"That's ridiculous." Nigel said unconvincingly .

"No, you think she did it!" He shot a guilty look at Santana's whisper. "There is no physical evidence Nige."

"She's an ME!" He rolled his eyes and gave her an exasperated look.

"Yes she is." Matt Seely muttered wandering into the conference room. "And so are you, so lets figure this the hell out shall we?" Nigel rolled his eyes again. "Look, right now, over at the precinct? Winslow, Simmons and Walcott are all sitting around in a room just like this trying to prove she did it. He walked back to the door way. "Bug get in here! We have to figure out how to prove she didn't."

Bug begrudgingly made his way into the room. Nigel shot him a look. After Sydney's confession about the mob case he was worried.

"So." Matt looked at Santana who nodded. "We know we have to keep them away from Dr. Trumaine. What else?"

"I upped the security software on her computer to make it look like they have full access while hiding all her important files." Nigel told them.

"Nigel thinks she did it." Santana told Matt softly.

"She didn't." He shot him a look.

"How the hell do you know?" Bug quipped from behind him.

"I was at her interrogation." He snapped at him. "She didn't do it." He shook his head. "All they have is motive and proof she knew where he was and that she'd gone there."

"All?" Bug scoffed. "She was at the scene!"

"So were half a dozen other people!"

"How many of their boyfriends were shot by Riggs?" Nigel raised an eyebrow.

"Look Santana and I came here to help you guys clear her, but if you'd like to go across the street and make a statement, I think you'd be more helpful to Simmons." Matt yelled. "Does everyone here think she killed him?"

Nigel met Seely's gaze.

"I need proof. I need to go to the scene. I need to see the body." He told the detective.

"Metoo.Fine.And sorry, no way." Matt quipped. "They'll never let you near the body."

"What if we request someone?" Bug mumbled his question at Seely. "Someone Simmons wouldn't know, but we would. Someone Eddie Winslow trusts."

"Like?" Matt asked hopefully.

"His brother." Nigel finished, nodding slowly.

"Peter?" Santana surprised them.

"You know him?" She was nodding when Nigel asked the question.

"I.. um... dated him." She looked at the table.

"He's the only ME who both sides will go for." Bug told Matt.

"Peter's not an ME. He's a psychiatric intern." Santana shot him a quirky look. "He works in a rehabilitation facility."

"He **was** an ME." Nigel told her. "He was an ME here for a short time, before you both got here. It was too much for him. He left to work for Common Hope after about a year. He knows Jordan, and Woody. He'd be.. fair. Thorough."

Seely nodded, shooting another glance at Santana. She nodded too.

"Okay. Santana can call Peter Winslow."Matt blew air out from between his lips. "Nigel you and I can go to the scene. Bug?" He looked at his friend. "I need you and Lily to find me someone who had a better reason to kill Wayne Riggs than Jordan."

Nigel waited to see what his best friend would do, sighing in relief when he simply nodded.

* * *

**Peter's POV**

He never thought he'd be back here. Well, at least while he was still among the living. When Christina Santana had called he'd almost laughed her ear off right through the receiver. He might have if she wasn't so hot. But now, standing outside of the building he dreaded returning to, he was wondering if she was as hot as he remembered.

"Peter?" He turned around when he heard his name.

"Chris." Yup, she was as hot as he remembered. "How are you?"

"Good. You?" He nodded at her. "Common Hope still working out for you?"

"Yeah.. Yeah it is." _Awkward much_?

"Can I ride up with you?" She pointed towards the building. "I have a body."

_Yes.. yes you do_. Peter thought before she cocked her head towards the building.

"Oh.. um sure." He held the door open for the young detective. "I never thought I'd be back here."

"I never knew you worked here to begin with." _Does she sound angry_? Peter wondered.

"Yeah. For a while, while I was getting back on my feet." He muttered as they walked onto the elevator.

"About that?" She turned to him, he shifted uncomfortably under her gaze. "You changed meetings."

"Chris."

"I mean. You could have just not gone out with me again. You didn't need to change meetings"

"I know that."

"Someone said you're going to the 9:30 at Dillworth? It's working out okay? Cause I could have gone somewhere else if it was that awkward for you." She tumbled over her words and he felt like an ass. Why did she have to work for the 19th? Why couldn't she have worked someplace else? Not with his brother, not with the morgue gang... anywhere else.

"I'm fine Chris. It-. I'm really sorry." He mumbled out as she shrugged.

"Hey. It was just a couple of dates. No big deal, you don't have to like me, Pete." She looked away. He was going to say something profound about how he did like her. How it wasn't _who she was_ that didn't work. It was _who she knew_. The doors opened to the elevator before he could. He froze as she got out. This was the last place Peter Winslow wanted to be. "You okay?"

His eyes clicked to her sweet face and he nodded. Willing his expressive eyes to return to there normal width.

"Yeah.. just a lot of history here." _Allison dead. Elane dead. Almost dying. Relapsing.. _History.

"Peter if you don't think you can do this.."

"Jordan and Woody need my help." He said firmly, walking out of the elevator. "I'm fine." He knew Santana knew about the 'stressful job' he'd had before Common Hope. He knew he'd talked about it at meetings. He'd just never known this was a part of her life too. "Where's the body?"

"Down here." He looked up to see his brother standing next to a stern faced Nigel.

"Eddie." _Not who I expected_. Peter groaned inwardly. All he needed to make this day perfect was for his big brother looking over his shoulder. "What are you doing here?"

"Making sure we don't get involved." Nigel groaned. "Your brothers guarding your body."

"Oo. My body guard? Just like old times huh, Ed?" Maybe having him there wouldn't be horrible after all. It might even be comforting.

"Jak se máte, Kazimir?" (**How are you, destructive one**?) His brother mumbled to him in Czech. giving him a once over.

"Eddie stop it." Peter sighed. "Let me do my job." He followed Nigel to autopsy. Christina followed him.

"Meet Wayne Riggs cop killer." She said unceremoniously."Killed four cops. Shot Woody in the gut, with a high powered rifle. at point blank range."

"Sounds like a nice guy."

"Jít k jádru věci, Petr." (**Let's get to the point, Pete**) Eddie hissed at him.

"Nemluvím česky!" (**I don't speak Czech**!) Peter yelled at him, Eddie grinned at him.

"Sounds pretty good to me." He chuckled looking at Christina. Peter shot his brother an irritated glance and moved in front of the other detective, blocking Eddie's view.

"So. This was the job huh?" Christina said absently as Peter started trace on the body.

"Yeah." He said shooting her a quick smile. "Small world." There was an awkward silence.

"Polib mě" (**Kiss me**!) Eddie cried passionately before breaking into uncontrolled laugher. Peter shot him a deadly look. Santana grimaced between the two brothers.

"Do you mind?" Peter rolled his eyes. "I'm working." His brother smirked, he shot her an apologetic look.

"Does he always talk to you in Czech?" She asked warily.

"Only when he's trying to be annoying." He assured her.

"Chodíš s někým?" (**Are you dating anyone**?) Eddie batted his eye lashes at Santana.

"Můžete je policejní stanice počkat?"(**Can you wait at the police station**?) Peter moaned at Eddie.

"Stýská se mi po tobě." (**I miss you**) Eddie grinned.

"I've got it here detective. You can go." He looked at Nigel. "I won't let them touch anything."

"Jordan Chodit po tenkém ledě." (**Jordan is on thin ice**.) Eddie said grimly. "Mít někoho omotaného kolem prstu." (**They are wrapped around her finger**) He gestured from Nigel to Santana to the hall. "Everyone. I trust you Pete." He wandered away before making kissy faces at his brother behind Santana's back.

Peter waited, before sighing reluctantly and looking at Nigel then back to Christine.

"How can I help?" He said sheepishly, motioning Nige to the body.


	8. Santana and Lu

**Santana's POV**

"Nigel!" Santana ran into the morgue, knocking over anyone or anything in her path. "NIGEL! I need you!"

"Wow Luv, what about Dr. Winslow?" The Britt called as his head popped out of trace.

"Matt sent me. He told me to tell you 'she knows'." She struggled to catch her breath.

"What?" She watched the mans face pale until it was starch white. "That's impossible.. It's.. impossible."

"Matt said to tell you 'she's on her way and she knows'." She shook her head frantically.

"Bloody hell." She watched him walk back to his desk, unlocking the drawer and pulling out a cell phone dialing it as he did.

"Get the hell out of there!" He yelled at who ever was on the other end of the it before turning it off and tossing it into a hazardous waste container. "Tell Seely to stall. They'll need.. They'll need at least an hour."

Santana nodded dialing her own phone and relaying the message. She could feel her heart beating in her ears when she heard Matt's yell.

"Tell him they have ten minutes." He hung up the phone. She looked at Nigel, knowing he had been close enough to hear him.

"Bloody Damn Hell." He muttered as they stood there starring at each other.

* * *

**Lu's POV**

"What do you want us to do Detective?" Someone asked her. _I don't know, shoot the damn Bitch if you have too. _

"Let me do all the talking. Cover the exits, don't let her escape." She looked at them seriously. "Save Detective Hoyt for me."

"Yes Sir."

She studied the motel lay out trying to decide some the best way to surround it. She knew Jordan would try and she wasn't sure Woody wouldn't help her. She had to remind herself this was an emotional issue for him.

He'd been shot by the man. He'd once had feelings for the suspect. It was almost Stockholm Syndrome. He may do anything to protect her. Simmons had to be ready.

They stormed into the motel office with badges drawn.

"Have you seen these people" She asked the motel clerk holding up head shots of Jordan and Woody. The man shook his head. "Someone says they saw them here."

"I haven't rented a room to this couple." He shook his head again.

"You're sure?" She snorted adding _'There not a couple'_ in her head.

"We only have fifteen rooms Ma'am. I know who's in each of them." Lu shook her head.

"We have the witness, Detective." Someone called from outside. Lu gave the man her dirtiest look and hurried out there. The old woman was pointing at Jordan's picture emphatically.

"That's her." She told the officer. "She was at the ice machine. Room 14." She pointed to the upper level of the motel.

Lu nodded to the officers and started up the steps.


	9. Woody and Jordan again

**Woody's POV**

"I don't understand. How could she find us here? No one has seen us." Woody was tossing his things into a back pack as he carried on. "No one would ever randomly pick here. No one knows we're here. Nigel's guy's brought us everything. We haven't left the room." It was then he noticed how Jordan was looking at him. He stopped packing and stood up straight, glaring at her."What did you do?"

"I got ice." She whispered.

"You what?" He closed his eyes before flashing them up to her.

"I got ice! I didn't stand on stage and announce my presence. I just got ice." She bit her lip. "I'm sorry."

"So am I." He told her looking out the window again. He could see Lu Simmons at the motel office."I.. you have to get out of here, now."

"What? Me? What about-?" Her alarmed questions were broken off by the loud knocking of the connecting door. Woody tossed it open revealing Nigel's guy. He handed him the back pack. "As soon as I'm gone, get her out of here." The man nodded at him.

"Woody?" He grabbed her and kissed her hard.

"I have to stay. If they find me here you'll have time to get out." He explained. "I can convince them you're already gone."

"I'm not leaving with out-." He kissed her again.

"Remember where home is?" She nodded athis breathy whisper wordlessly. "Wait for me there."

"I-."

"Hit me." He ordered.

"What?" She was horrified.

"You have to hit me. Hard." He told her.

"Woody, I'm not going to-." She was crying now.

"Jordan don't argue just do it! Punch me." He wiped her tears with his thumb, looking at the other man.

"Woody." She pleaded.

"Jordan, hit me!" He grabbed her by the shoulders, pushing the seriousness of his statement into her eyes.

She closed her eyes and swung hard at his face. She cried out as he stumbled back into the wall, before regaining his composure.

"Good girl." He kissed her wincing in pain as he pulled away."I love you."

Shoving her towards Nigel's guy he locked the connecting door behind them, wiping his prints off with his shirt.

He looked at the closed door again before slumping to the ground and trying to look unconscious.

* * *

**Jordan's POV**

Jordan's fist stung as Nigel's guy pulled her into the small closet on the other side of the room and clamped his hand over her mouth until she'd stopped crying.

"Stay here." He hissed in his heavy British accent as he closed the closet doors and walked towards the window. They heard the police yell for the door to be opened next store. They heard them bust it down. They heard Lu Simmons scream for an ambulance. Jordan shook in the closet, reminding herself he was fine. It was an act, an act to protect her.

"She's not here Detective. Her clothes are here but she's gone."

"Lu?" Woody's weak voice came under the door.

"Oh Thank God."

"She's gone? Oh God, she knocked me out and ran. She's long gone." Jordan bit her lip. "Damn it. Why didn't I cuff her? Why didn't I call for back up?"

"It's all right Honey. You meant well Woody." Simmons soothed. "She did this to you?"

Jordan rubbed her knuckles feeling the hot tears on her cheeks.

"She's.. I thought I could reason with her..." Woody continued.

"I know it's all right." Jordan pressed her lips together as her body shook with sobs. She was alone now. He would go back to Boston, and the rest of the department wouldn't coddle him or believe his story like Lu. He would be questioned, arrested maybe, and she was going to be alone.

_Do you remember where home is? _The words, the promise, would ring in her ear for weeks to come. She'd wait for him, but she was sure he wasn't ever actually going to come.

* * *

**A/N two short chapters but very important turning points. I love that you all are upset that the morgue gang thinks she's guilty. There will be more flashbacks to help you understand why. Anyway.. this is the last we see of Jordan for a while. So i hoped you enjoyed her!**


	10. Seely and Bug

**Seely's POV**

They lead him back in handcuffed, like he was a perp off of the street. Seely had actually gasped when he saw it.

"Simmons protested loudly for everyone to hear, but Renee had insisted." Santana announced leaning towards him.

"Get the Chief, then call Nigel." She ran off as Matt dialed internal affairs. Someone was already on their was over. He hadn't even set the phone back on his hip yet when it rang. He picked it up, moving towards the door and wandering out of his office.

"_Seely_?" It was Nigel.

"Are we okay?"

"_Yeah, all is well. Tell Woodrow that Bug and I will be there to bail him out as soon as we can." _

He nodded against the phone like Nigel could see it. Woody turned his head towards him, meeting the other detectives eyes with an expectant look.

_Did he get her out?_

Seely smiled slowly, continuing to nodding his head. Woody's eyes closed, his shoulders sagging in utter relief.

He watched the chief barge in with Santana on his heels. He snapped at Walcott that Woody was a good detective. Renee snapped back that he'd stopped being a good detective a year ago, holding up Woody's personnel file over her head like a torch.

Woody and Jordan's lawyer Kim was already there, getting in on the yelling when internal affairs showed up and ushered them all into a conference room.

"What the hell is he going to do?" Santana whispered slipping to his side.

"Nige is processing what he and Peter found on the body." Matt whispered. "It's his best chance."

"Is she okay?" The brunette lowered her voice to a low whisper as she asked. Matt looked at her surprised. "Come on I know you know.. is she okay?"

"She's fine. They got her out in time."

"Simmons' said Woody was unconscious at the scene and he demanded they take physical evidence from the wound on his face. To prove it was Jordan who hit him?"

"It'll create reasonable doubt. He can say he tried to bring her back, she lashed out. It's down right brilliant." Seely chuckled. "Nice bruise though, that girl's got a hell of a hook." Matt looked down at his feet bitting his lip in an overly nostalgic way.

"She's never coming back is she?"

"Stop, Luv." Nigel said gently coming up behind her. "She'd want us to focus on Woody." He held up the small envelope and nodded towards the conference room. "Kim said to bring ten thousand dollars in cash."

"Where in the hell did you get-?" Matt laughed, catching Nigel's bizarre expression. "You know what? Never mind."

"It's better that way, Mate." Nigel grinned.

"Come on let's get this taken care of." He put his hand on the Britt's shoulder and guided him down to the appropriate office.

* * *

**Bug's POV**

They'd gotten ten thousand dollars from Jordan's bank account. Well, Nigel had. Bug had simply watched sullenly from a chair. He watched Woody now through the glass now.

"Tell us again what happened Detective." Renee said icily. "Tell us what you told Detective Simmons." Woody looked at Kim who nodded.

"She called me." Bug watched how easily he lied. "I thought I could go to her. Use our relationship.." He shot a look at Simmons. "Our past relationship, to convince her to come back with me. We talked. I thought she was coming around. We started packing her bag.. I bent down to get something.. and she.. She knocked me out cold." He looked at the table Bug watched the look of guilt wash over him. He'd seen it before.

_**A year ago a year ago a year ago a year ago.** _

_They hadn't come with the rest of the group, even in his semi-dazed state he'd noticed that. _

_Jordan and Woody had crept in after the crowd had cleared out. He'd also noticed her hand wrapped securely around his and how Hoyt looked like he'd shot someone's dog._

_"Hey." Jordan had leaned in and touched her lips to the only non-inflamed part of his face. "How you doing?"_

_"Been better." He'd said honestly. "Heard you caught him." He looked at Woody, who smiled sheepishly and looked at Jordan._

_"Yeah."_

_"Thanks."_

_"You don't have to thank me." Woody breathed looking at Bug with remorseful eyes. "It shouldn't ever have happened. I should have know better."_

_"Woody." Jordan said sweetly running her hand up his arm with her free one._

_"Woody, we didn't know. We're not used to dump sites becoming active crime scenes. There were tons of people around.. we just weren't being as cautious as we should have been given the specifics of the case..."_

_"Hey. It's done. You're going to be fine." Jordan had pipped up moving between Woody and the bed. "It's done. No one meant for it to happen." She looked back at Hoyt. "It's done. He's going to be fine."_

_**now now now now now now now now now**_

At the time he had noticed the look of fear, maybe even guilt. But now he realized that there had also been a look of responsibility on his face that he hadn't noticed until just now. Because he was seeing it again.

"My client had DNA evidence collected at the scene. It's a positive match for Dr. Cavanaugh. Se was the one who struck him. Detective Hoyt had no belongings with him suggesting that he was planning on staying longer than it took to convince Dr. Cavanaugh to return with him." He saw Woody smile at the table when she said that. Bug knew he'd taken belongings. He'd watched Nigel toss them into the bus. "It's my understanding bail has been set and it's being paid as we speak. My client is done here, Renee."

Walcott gave him a long once over.

"You're suspended of course, with out pay, pending an investigation. The officers from the scene of your arrest will be turning in your badge and firearm." He broke his gaze from the DA's face and looked at the table again, nodding.

Bug walked out of observation and met him at the door.

"Woody. Let me take you home with me." Lu Simmons was almost begging and Bug knew why.

"No I just want to go back to my apartment and be alone for a while." He said softly.

"But you should stay with someone.. You may have a concussion. You shouldn't be alone."

"What she means to say is she searched your apartment and it's a disaster area." Bug said dryly. Lu gave him a nasty look. "He's going home with Nigel."

"You searched my-?" He looked convinvcingly betrayed. Bug was starting to think he should have been an actor instead of a cop. "Why would you-?"

"I was worried. I had to find you I-."

"You had no right to-."

"She searched your desk too." Bug turned and looked at Seely. Matt shook his head. "Went on and on about how you were emotionally vulnerable."

"You searched my desk? My place?" She sputtered something towards him, but he cut her off. "Did you find anything Detective? Anything you needed to know about?"

"That's one way to put it." Santana said as she joined the group, pulling a small black box from her pocket."She found this, I had to pry it from her hands."

Woody took the box from her like it was the most precious thing in the world. Bug watched real emotion flash across his face for the first time tonight. He ran his fingers over the box before looking at Simmons.

"You had no right to-." He looked at the box and swallowed hard. "But I guess you know that now." He met her eyes.

"Woody she's a fugitive, she's going to cause you to loose your badge. She doesn't care about anything but saving her own ass. She knocked you unconscious for Christ's Sake!"

Woody's mouth twitched and he leaned in close to her.

"Did she?" He whispered breathlessly, watching the look of horror cross her features. "Are you sure?"

"I'm getting Walcott." She threatened after she had gathered her self together.

"Why?" Seely shrugged. "I didn't here anything." He looked at Santana. "Did you?"

"Nope." She smiled slyly and shook her head. "And I have excellent hearing."

"Bug?" Matt looked at him.

"Forensic evidence says it all for me.." He looked at Simmons slowly , slipping his eyes back to Woody. He watched Hoyt's eyes narrow as he caught something in Bug's gaze. Dr. Vijay dropped his eyes away. "Come on. You're staying at Nigel's." He turned his back on the group hearing Woody mumble thank yous and squelch one last desperate protest from Lu Simmons before following him away from the area.


	11. Nigel and Seely again

**Nigel POV**

Nigel watched Woody study Bug as they walked towards his apartment.

"What did I do to piss him off?" He asked him sheepishly. "Is this about Lu Simmons?"

"I don't care who you're sleeping with Woody." Bug growled. Woody looked over at him before looking back at Nigel.

"What have you guys found while I was gone?"

Nigel grimaced, swallowing hard and looking away from Woody's hopeful face.

"Nothing that can help us. I don't know how we're going to get her out of this Woody." He told him. Hoyt stopped walking.

"She didn't do it." He stated.

"Are you sure?" Nigel shook his head when he asked. Woody made a disturbing face.

"Of course I am."

"Well we'll just take your word for it then." Bug growled as they made their way up the stairs of Nigel's place.

"What's wrong with you?" He turned to Nigel. "What's wrong with him?"

"Nothing!" Bug snapped.

"You're obviously-."

"Woodrow-." Nigel put his key in the door.

"What? What the hell is going on with you guys?"

"Maybe it's that we figured out some things while you've been gone." Nigel groaned inwardly. This was not how he wanted this to go.

"What's that supposed to mean?" He looked at Nigel, drawing in a slow gasp. "Evidence? Then someone's framing her."

"Woodrow."

"This is Jordan. You think Jordan-." Woody shouted.

"Ha!" Bug laughed, Nigel grimaced.

"Ha?" Woody shook his head quickly, like he was trying to wake up.

"Why not? You and Jordan never break the rules? Ha!" Bug snapped at him. Woody opened his mouth to respond.

"We've found out some new information while you were gone." Nigel said taking him by the arm and moving him away from Bug. He swung the door open, Sydney looked up from the couch.

"What are you-?"

"Hiding out." Bug growled. Woody looked at Nigel.

"We're trying to keep him under the radar until Walcott's off the war path.

"He knows things." Bug shot a death look at Woody.

"What-?" His face darkened with the realization. "Oh."

"Oh? Yeah. Apparently it wasn't just you and Jordan running around shouting 'I am the Law'. You drug Sydney down with you." Bug told him as Woody studied Sydney's face.

"How much do they know?" He whispered.

"Everything." Woody's head bobbed down to the floor. "From Cahill to Cal to Riggs." Nigel watched as Sydney shook his head at Woody's betrayed look. "You two put me on the spot Woody."

It's his medical licsence on the line. Not that you care about anyone's life, career or retribution but yours and Jordan's." Dr. Vijay growled.

"Bug come on." Nigel kept his voice quiet. "We've all bent the rules to-."

"They broke the law." He looked at Woody. "Repeatedly."

"I-I-.. It was about family. It was personal."

"That's the thing about Jordan." Nigel mumbled.

"It's always personal." Sydney finished.

"Just because it's personal doesn't mean that it's okay for her to do what ever she wants." Bug narrowed his eyes at Woody. "Just because it's Jordan doesn't mean that you get to do what ever she-."

"Hey!" Woody hissed.

"You broke the law!" Bug repeated. "Not the rules. The law."

"And you wouldn't have? For Lily?" Woody watched Bugs face twist into a grimace.

"Leave Lily the hell-."

Woody looked at Sydney.

"Wouldn't you have done it for your brother?"

"In a second. Without thinking." Sydney looked at Bug. "In a second."

"Wouldn't you?" Woody looked between Bug and Nigel.

"My brothers dead." Bug snorted. Woody looked disgusted.

"I'd do it for you." Nigel whispered to his bestfriend, looking up at him. Bug's eyes filled with understanding as he shot a softer look at Woody.

"I'd do it for Lily" He nodded his head in defeat. Nigel looked at him expectantly. "I'd do it for you too."

* * *

**Seely's POV**

"She didn't kill Riggs." Woody started pacing around Nigel's living room.

"I told you." Seely shook his head, from the couch. He'd parked himself there when he and Santana arrived for breakfast.

"Well case closed lets go home." Santana spit out sarcastically at him.

"If she wanted him dead, she would have let me kill him when I had the chance. She stopped me." He took a deep breath. "She went out of her way to stop me."

"What was she doing there?" Nigel muttered.

"I don't know. I don't know why she touched the gun, but I know she didn't fire it."

"There was no identifiable fingerprint on the trigger." Nigel handed a mug of coffee to Santana.

"But she had residue." Bug added.

"I let her in to the range that morning like I have a hundred times." Seely shook his head. "Simmons' thinks it was a cover up." He looked at Woody. "Why was she there? She wouldn't tell me."

"For me." Woody sat on the love seat and craned his head back towards the ceiling. "She was afraid I'd go there. That I would do something stupid. He was dead when she got there."

"So we have to find who." Bug muttered.

"Piece of cake." Seely scoffed looking at Woody. "Hoyt, we have nothing and you're 'little fling' is going in for the kill."

"She was out of control this morning." Santana moaned, rolling her gaze to Woody. "Completely out of control. Were you insane?"

"Starting to look that way, huh?" Seely watched Woody's Adam's apple bob.

"You sure go after some high stakes pus-" Santana's arm slammed against Seely's chest before he could finish the statement. He gasped for breath rubbing the spot. "I'm just saying. He likes to sleep with psycho's."

Woody's face hardened, until Nigel let out a snorty laugh, the others joined in slowly. Finally even Woody's face broke into a grin. Santana shook her head quickly.

"You guys are ridiculous!" She moaned. "Jordan's going to rot where ever she is if we don't figure this out!" They sobered up.

"I think you're boyfriends our best bet." Seely said looking at Santana with raised eyebrows.

"Oo.. I missed something." Woody raised his eyebrows in a way that Matt had once heard Jordan call girlie. "Do tell."

"Our little Santana is shagging' Peter Winslow."

"No way!"

"We dated. Past tense, a while back." She corrected.

"So Peter." Woody grinned. "That's your type?"

"Jealous?" Santana snapped.

"No Peter's not my type." He winked at Santana.

"What the hell Hoyt?" Seely said watching the interaction. "Is it a requirement that you try to screw all the new detectives?" Woody grimaced. Santana just pressed her lips together.


	12. Peter and Sydney

**Peter's POV**

He closed his eyes in irritation before rubbing at them with the palms of his hands. He felt Christina's hand on his back, her thumb sliding towards his shoulder blade and back again. He held his breath until her hand fell away.

"Sorry. I was trying to help you calm down. Not stress you out more." She mumbled walking to the other side of the room. He watched her go, wishing he could tell her she was wrong.

"It's no big deal Chris." His voice sounded odd. Even to him. "I'm just trying to focus on the case."_And not on your touch or how hot you look in those jeans. _"I'm her last hope."

"Yeah." He watched her sink down into the chair. "No thanks to me."

"It wasn't your fault." He moaned slapping the file closed and shooting her an annoyed glance. How many times do we have to go through this!"

"If my testimony is what gets her-." She began.

"Christina, you told the truth." He interrupted. "You did what you were supposed to do."

"No one else spoke. They just all took the fifth."

"You couldn't plead the fifth. You didn't do anything illegal. You can only plead the fifth if you did something illegal. You can't refuse to answer on the grounds that you might incriminate yourself if you haven't done anything incriminating!"

"Everyone else put their names and careers on the line and I sung like a-."

"Stop."

"Seely and Woody have been suspended. Sydney and Nigel are being investigated. Bug's reputation is ruined and Macy's planning on resigning.. I'm in the clear. It's not fair." She huffed.

"So you want your life to be as ruined as everyone else's?" He grimaced at her, she rolled her eyes. "Christina you are the only one who believes in her left with any credibility."

"No. There's you."

"I haven't had credibility in this part of Boston for a long time." He said sadly.

"You have it with Macy. He was more than thankful you decided to come back. Even if it's only temporary." He nodded, flipping the file back open and starring at the results he'd all but memorized. "It's nice.. working with you."

He didn't say anything, just pressed his lips together and starred at the autopsy report. He heard her make her way towards the door.

_What the hell are you doing Winslow? You have a wonderfully sweet and amazingly hot girl repeatedly dropping signals. Pick one up. _

"Chris?" He flipped his eyes up to her. "It is." She turned back towards him with a confused expression. "Nice."

He watched the slow grin spread across her face as she turned slowly and walked back down the hall. He was still looking at the door way when Nigel rushed in.

"No no no no." Peter groaned. "We've been through this! You cannot be here."

"It's my morgue. Actually you're sitting at my desk." The Brit told him craning his neck to see the file. Peter closed it.

"It's not your morgue. It's the city of Boston's morgue and you are on a leave of absence. And if I let you anywhere near this case **I **will be on a leave of absence.."

"I want to know about my finger prints."

"...and no one will be here to process your .."

"They are all possible suspects Peter. . All..."

"_Twenty six finger prints._." The two men said in unison.

"I'm on it." Peter sighed tiredly. "They didn't pop local. I'm running them through interpol.

"Why **are **you at my desk?" Nigel asked in annoyance.

"Because I don't have one and you're not using yours." He told him before adding the real reason. "Macy said I could use Jordan's but it creped me out. I kept thinking she was going to walk int and kick my ass for touching her stuff."

Nigel was quiet for a minute and Peter could almost read his thoughts by the look on his face. _If only. _

"So. You and Santana?"

"No.

"Why the bloody hell not?" He asked hotly.

"Eddie set us up. We went out twice. It did work out, but she's a very nice person."

"I've seen you look at her Mate. It worked out."

"It's complicated." _I'd ruin her life, I'd expose her. Besides she knows you.. all of you. _"I should have never let there be a second date."

"Too bad. She's fallen hard for you."

"She'll get over it." Peter growled pushing away from the desk and walking back to trace. "I'm going to check the results. You should leave before Walcott finds you here."

* * *

**Sydney's POV.**

They'd suspended his license, he'd stood up slowly and moved away from the comity like they were a bunch of rattle snakes ready to uncoil.

His lawyer shook her head sympathetically. He'd known. From the moment he'd began telling his story he'd known. He watched Woody testify on his behalf, talking about how they hadn't given him a choice. That they had been the ones that had done wrong. He reminded the board that Jordan had outranked him quiet a bit and that he couldn't rightly argue with her. He hadn't falsified any documents. (He'd left that job to them.) But he had pocketed evidence. It had come down to that. The moment he pulled Woody's bloody fingerprint from the file and put it in his lab coat as Jordan ran out the door, that moment was why he was suspended.

It was however one of the millions of reasons that Detective Woody Hoyt's suspension was removed from 'pending investigation' to 'indefinite'.

Sydney felt sorry for him. He didn't blame him like Bug had initially wanted him too. He knew he had a choice every time. He could have gone over there heads. He could have refused to remain silent. He could have simply done his job.

In the end it hadn't been Jordan that ruined him. It had been his actions since the shooting. Lu Simmons' had of course been the one that had spoken against him. She talked about Woody's temper in detail and how he would frequently drop everything and rush to Jordan's aide. Admitting to their affair and quickly earning a suspension of her own for ethical violations. That didn't stop her from being a detective though. It hadn't even gotten her removed from the case.

After much deliberation it had been AD Brandea that had made the final decision. Deciding that switching detectives in the middle of an investigation would look worse to the jury than there short affair. It had not gone over well with Lily who had barged out of the conference room and out of the station.

Sydney was walking back towards Nigel's apartment when Woody's car pulled up along side him.

"Hey. Wanna ride?"

"I'm not supposed to get in the car with shady criminals." He teased climbing into the car.

"Yeah well. I'm not supposed to pick up out of work ME's either." He looked at Woody who was starring at the road. "I'm really sorry about all of this."

"Woody come on, we've been through this."

"Yeah we have and I get that it was your choice, but you chose it for me and Jordan." He glanced at him and then back to the road. "Where are we going?"

"Nigel's. I'm getting my stuff and heading home."

"Cambridge?"

"Not until my sixty days are up." He sighed. "Until then I'm going to see my sister. She just had a baby. It'll keep me busy."

"Yeah." Sydney knew he was trying not to apologize again.

"It'll be like vacation. Hey, you guys did me a favor." Woody was smiling.

"I told Jordan that our little escape was probably the only vacation I'd ever get her to go on." Sydney watched the smile fade.

"What are you going to do now? I mean if you guys can't prove she didn't kill him?"

"Then I'm going home." He said softly the smile returning to his features.


	13. Woody and Nigel

**Woody's POV**

"_I wish I had better news Woody_." He clutched the phone in his grasp, leaning his head back against the wall.

"Oh Danny please don't tell me that." Hoyt moaned, rolling his eyes at the ceiling.

"_I believe her Woody I really do but..."_

"I know. I know." He breathed.

"_Who ever did this Job did it amazingly well_." Woody nodded to the empty room. He knew. He'd racked his brain trying to figure out who. "_They knew Jordan. Well_."

Woody had gone through the list of usual suspects, James, the Albanian Mob, past cases of hers gone horribly wrong, past cases of his gone terribly wrong...

"_Woody she's safe where she is_?" Danny pleaded. "_Say the word and I'll help you move her_."

"She's safe. Nigel has people keeping an eye on her."

"_Hoyt if you need a job.._" Woody couldn't help but smile.

"I will.. but..."

"_Vegas is a big place. Lots of people_." Danny paused. "_They've already been here. Questioned all of us.. I don't think they'll be back."_

"Danny I'm not sure that.. I'm not sure. I can't make any decisions.." He ran his hand over his face.

"_I understand_." Danny said honestly. "_I just wanted you to know you had options_."

"Thanks.. I'll.. I keep them under consideration. Thanks for everything." He listened to Danny mutter goodbye and hung up. He stretched his legs up onto the couch, letting his eyes fall on the large round window, to her desk, to the bookshelf. It smelled so much like her in here it hurt, but it hurt worse not to be here. He looked at her desk again. Lily had left him dinner while he was on the phone. He hadn't even heard her come in.

If it weren't for Lily and the others he'd have starved to death by now. Leaving this room had become a chore. Besides staggering across the hall to the locker room to shower and change he'd taken root.

He looked at the picture on her desk of them in LA, tracing his finger across the frame. He rubbed his palm across his eyes and tried to keep back the tears. This had to stop. He couldn't live in the Morgue forever. His career was over. His reasons for staying in Boston were over. Maybe he should take Danny up on the offer? Maybe it was time to throw in the towel and go home. He looked at the picture again.

Home.

* * *

**Nigel's POV**

He heard the door to her office fly open and then slam closed. He'd been waiting for this. Peter looked up at him with wide eyes and Nigel cocked his head towards the door. After Peter was out of the room he reached into his desk and pulled out the small envelope.

"Nige?" Woody dropped into the visiting chair, Nigel met the mans red eyes. "I.." He swallowed hard. "You'll keep trying to clear her?"

"I'll never stop trying, Woodrow."

"I can't keep doing this. Being here is too hard." Nigel knew that. It was etched into every line on Hoyt's face. "I want to go home." Dr. Townsend pushed the envelope towards him.

"Your flight to Wisconsin leaves tomorrow morning, Mate." He told him ignoring Woody's shocked expression. "I was going to sedate you and put a stamp on your head to get you there if you didn't go willingly."

"Thanks." He clutched the envelope in his hands for a minute. "If there was anything else to do-. I'd.."

"She knows that Woodrow." He told his friend.

"I miss her." He admitted. "I can't do this with out her. I tried.."

"For longer than most of us would have thought possible." Nigel told him nodding his head.

"I failed her." He never took his eyes off the envelope.

"No." Nigel shook his head. "Don't do that, Mate. Go. Get ready to go home." Woody nodded. "Call me when you get to Wisconsin."

Peter pushed the door back open as Hoyt made his way out the door.

"He's leaving the building?" Peter's eyebrows hit his hairline.

"He's leaving all together."

"He's giving up?"

"What the bloody hell did you expect him to do? Stop living?"

"Well... yeah." Peter said honestly. "I never thought he'd give up on happily ever after with Jordan."

"Like you've given up on it with Santana?" Nigel asked.

"It's complicated." Peter moaned in protest.

"Yeah. Because Woody and Jordan are bloody easy"

"I could hurt her career." He said softly.

"Woody and Jordan's careers are in ruin. Do you think they'd trade it?" Nigel waited for his point to sink in. "Do you think he'd trade his feelings for Jordan for his badge back?"

The Britt watched the wheels turn, smiling in satisfaction when Peter looked up in determined alarm.

"I need to go."

"Yeah." He smirked looking back down at the report in his hands.


	14. Santana and Felix

**Santana's POV**

He walked into the prescient with a mission, pulling her into Seely's office and shutting the door behind them.

"Peter?" She looked at his face, trying to once and for all decide what this was all about.

"I'll out you." He said firmly.

"You plan on announcing it?" She shook her head at him like he was an idiot.

"It could come out." He whispered.

"Yeah okay. This is my girlfriend Christina and she's a recovering addict.. Oops! Yeah.. I see how that could happen." Her voice was angrier than it should have been. "All this time I thought you didn't like me."

"Why the hell wouldn't I like you?" His voice rose to her angry pitch.

"You stopped calling. You stopped coming to my meeting. You didn't return my calls..." She chucked a finger free of her fist for each reason.

"You knew my brother, Chris. It was way to close. I told him I'd met a girl at a meeting that I really-." He stopped and looked at the wall.

"Really what?" She whispered.

"You had just gotten out of Narcotics. Do you have any idea what they would have put you through if they found out about-." He ranted, ignoring her question.

"That you really what, Peter?" She said more forcefully.

"Cared about." He practically shouted. She smiled.

"You're not going to out me." She whispered. "No one will know."

"They'll think I'm bad news for you." He told her taking a step closer.  
"No one thinks that." She assured him reaching out her hand and putting it on his shoulder. "No one."

"I ruin everything I touch." He whined, as she moved her hand to cup his cheek.

"No you don't."

"I.. You.."

"I'm not Allison. I'm working a good program Peter. I'm clean." She felt him tremble when he mentioned his dead wife's name. "I'm not like Allison."

He nodded slowly, wrapping his hand around her wrist. She took the chance and kissed him on the mouth. She was almost surprised when she felt him press against her, returning the kiss.

"Okay?' She whispered as their faces parted.

"Okay." He told her pressing his forehead to hers.

"What brought this on?" Santana asked pressing her lips together.

"Woody's leaving." He said flatly, making no motion to move from their spot.

"What?" She tightened his grip on her.

"He's going back to Wisconsin. It's over." She watched his eyes.

"Oh my God." She closed her eyes and listened to him breathe.

"Yeah." He said softly

"So Carpe Diem?" She breathed.

"Something like that." He grinned kissing her again.

* * *

**Felix's POV**

He leaned forward against the railing again looking back down the long street until he was sure. He shook his head, watching the old blue Dodge move slowly down into the alley.

"Bloody Hell." He muttered picking up his phone. "Lock your door." He told the woman on the other end, before hanging up and dialing another number. "It's me. Yeah, she's defiantly being followed. An older man, in a blue dodge. I think he's a cop. He cases her like a cop. Yeah. Okay."

Felix leaned back against the railing of the hotel balcony and watched the driver of the Dodge watch his charge's door.

"Bloody Hell."

They were going to have to move soon and she wasn't going to like it.


	15. Woody and Bug

**Woody's POV**

"Woody Hoyt is that you?" Mike got up from his desk and clapped his hand down on his friend's shoulder. Woody smiled nervously. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm... I need to ask you for a job." Woody scuffed the toe of his shoe against the desk.

"No problem, you name it. I'll-." His friend was nodding.

"I need you to turn me down, Mike." Woody kept his voice low.

"Huh?" His friend leaned back a little to take in Woody's face.

"I need you to leak it that I asked for a job and you turned me down flat." He wondered how he was going to get the message across.

"Woodrow if you need a-." He was shaking his head now.

"I need you to turn me down.." Woody repeated.

"Okay." Mike put his hands up in the air in confusion.

"I'm really sorry about this." He whispered picking up a binder of depositions off of his friends desk. "You don't have to do anything except make sure it leaks." With that he slammed the heavy object to the floor.

"DAMN IT! I THOUGHT I COULD COUNT ON YOU!" Woody yelled suddenly, keeping his eyes glued on his childhood friend. "COME ON MAN I NEED A JOB!"

"What's going on?" Mike asked quietly.

"DON'T TELL ME TO CALM DOWN!" Woody raised his eyebrows at him and Mike shook his head with a bemused grin.

"What's her name? Is it that Jordan girl?" He teased. Woody rolled his eyes, if he only knew. "MY FATHER'S A LEGEND HERE! HE TAUGHT YOU EVERYTHING YOU KNOW!"

"Sheriff? You need help in here?" A deputy turned the corner in a hurry.

"You could show Mr. Hoyt to the door." Mike said his eyes never breaking from Woody's gaze. He grinned at him quickly before yanking his arm away from the officer.

"I know where the door is. I know where it is." He looked back a his friend. "I thought I could count on you."

"Get him out of here!"

_There_. Woody thought, _Sit tight for another week and then I can get the hell out of this one stop light town for good._

He heard the cell phone ringing from the glove box of his car when he opened the door. It was the cell phone.

"Nige?" He said wearily as he pressed the green talk button.

* * *

**Bug's POV**

"There's a leak. They're has to be a leak." Nigel mumbled as he clutched the phone to his ear. "Who's the damn leak?"

"There is no leak. Only you, Woody and Seely know where she is." Bug assured.

"She must have been recognized. We should have shipped her off somewhere where no one could ID her."

"You did the right thing Nige."

"Woody? Look I know I said two weeks but you need to go now." His friend said into the phone. "She's being followed."

Bug could hear the panicked voice from across the room as Woody answered. Nigel held the phone away from his head.

"No Woody, go now. I'm sending you the e-ticket. Toss this phone now." Nigel hung up, tossing his phone into the biohazard bag. "We've gone through more of those damn things.."

"This was the plan all along? He tells everyone he's going back to Kewanee, he lays low for a while and then goes to her?" Bug watched Nigel stare at him. "They're not coming back are they?"

"I've... the bloggers are still working on the case.. You and I we'll keep-. Seely.." Nigel shook his head back and forth as he spoke. "We'll bring them back. Someday."

Bug watched him, knowing he didn't believe his own words.


	16. Jordan, Max and Woody

**a/n sheee's baaaack... carpe diem-seize the day... something Woody did not do Sunday when Jordan was all vulnerable and all he could do was pat her shoulder with all the emotion of one of his robots.. but damn he can get mad at Lu can't he? Didn't _he_ want to kill JD for manhandling her? What the he--is wrong with him.. did anyone else think he looked pointy? Best line ever... 'I think you'd do anything for her..' Ummmh.. Duhhhh.. anyway.. here it is.. I promise touching.

* * *

**

**Jordan's POV**

Every damn day she stood here.

Every damn day at sunset for a week she stood here. It had been two months now. Two damn months since Wayne Riggs had been found dead. Two damn months since Woody had shoved her through the doorway with his duffle bag in her hands and his blood on her knuckles.

His duffle bag. She'd worn his shirts for weeks, she still slept in them. They didn't smell like him anymore. Sometimes if she left them in the duffle bag long enough they would when she pulled them out. Just for a minute, she could close her eyes and feel like he was there.

She hadn't talked to anyone. Nigel's guy called, shouting commands at her in two word sentences. That's why she'd given him the slip. It was the plan. The plan to get home.

He might not even recognize her.

Her own father wouldn't even recognize her. She didn't care about her father or his recognition, but the idea of Woody Hoyt not recognizing her. Her hair was short and straight and red. She wore ball caps.. ball caps. She hated them. This one said Suck it it was her favorite.. but she hated it too.

Maybe this was it. Maybe this was the last day she came her. The last day she'd wait her hoping he'd come home to her. Probably not.

* * *

**Max's POV**. 

He was watching her, the way she leaned into the railing, moving her head side to side in disagreement with her silent self. He was debating the best way to let her know he was here. He was so proud of her for ditching the guy following her, she wondered if Woody had hired him to look after her.

Woody. Funny that guy looks a lot like.. Oh My God.

* * *

**Woody's POV**. 

It amazes him that he knows it's her right away. The way she moved her body the way she rubbed the back of her hand across her eyebrows, there was no doubt. Not one moment when he had sighed that someone else was standing in their spot. No moment when he thought she hadn't understood him after all, just a feeling of heat rushing through his body when he saw her.

She had her head in her hands, lifting it out to look at her watch before dropping back to her palms.

He'd nearly panicked three days ago when Nigel had called him at the airport to say she'd given his guy the slip.She's being followed and this British Millitary Mastermind looses track of her?

Until he had muttered something about her being crazy to come back here. Crazy to come _home_.

**_three days ago three days ago three days ago three days ago_**

_"Wait what?" Woody stopped in his tracks at the word home._

_"She said she was coming back to Boston Woodrow." Nigel muttered absently._

_"How.. What exactly did she say?" He held his breath, this was it._

_He heard Nigel pause._

_"The note said: Tell him I'm going home." Townsend'svoice told himthat he had han't thoughtWoodywas the **him** until that moment_

_"Okay." Woody couldn't contain the smile in his voice._

_"Okay?" Nigel's confusion was palpable. "She's.. it's...?"_

_"Yeah it's okay. Nige.. Thank you." He swallowed hard. "Tell everyone I said thank you. We know they tried. Tell Lily Bradau's all wrong for her and that Seely still has a thing for her. Tell him to get off his ass and stop her from making a mistake. Tell Chris and Peter not to waste it. Tell Garret I'll take care of her. Tell Bug I'm so so sorry.. and Nige.. You've been a good friend to her.. The best..."_

_"I'll keep trying." The Britt croaked out._

_"I know." Woody said softly. "I've got to go, I've got someone waiting at home."_

_**now now now now now now now now now now now now now now.**_

_Home.. home's right behind you, Woody.. no.. I mean right behind you.._

He stood behind her now.

She was lost in thought when he saw her stiffen. Sensing that she was being watched, that someone was too close, she stood up and started to turn around. He leaned his body into hers.

"Honey I'm home." He whispered trying to keep the tears out of his voice. She spun into his chest and wrapped her arms tightly around him. "Hey You."

"You knew it was me." She whispered.

"You thought I wouldn't know you?"

"I.. I look... "

"Hot."

"Different."

"It'll be like having an-."

"Don't you dare say that Woody Hoyt." She warned huffing the words out over her relieved sobs.

"It's John now you know."

"Yeah I know your drivers license is in my wallet.. John Adams Wilson.. Nige is cute isn't he?"

"He is, Mrs. Wilson."

"You should call me Amy.." She teased. "I am you're wife you know."

"I missed you so-" She stopped his declaration with a kiss and then wrapped her arms back around his neck tightly..

"Welcome home." He could feel her lips brush against his ear when she whispered.

"It's good to be home."


	17. Jordan and Samantha

**Ahh.. five years later.. I hate it when stories do that.. but hey.. this was getting long... and really this is just a teaser to the sequil sooooo.. Here.. ps.. The Maroon Five song was not originally the source of the title.. but it oddly enough fits the story.. so here...

* * *

Five years later.. Las Vegas, Navada **

Jordan's POV

Five years later.. Las Vegas, Navada 

He and Dannywere at a stand off when she came around the corner insearch of her husband.

"I don't care what you say. They're is no proof Danny.. No proof." The former detective rolled his eyes into the back of his head.

"Guess what Inspector Gadget? We aren't cops. We don't need proof." Danny countered swatting at Woody's shoulder.

"So we just get to tap dance on everyones civil rights because you have a feeling?" Woody shoved him back a little. Jordan rolled her eyes. Here they go again, it was like the fifth time this week.

"This is my casino _Hoy_-."

_Oh shit. _Jordan felt her heart contract. Danny had been slipping up too much lately.

"BOYS! BOYS!" Jordan yelled at the top of her lungs as both men spun around to meet her. She glared meaningfully at Danny. He hung his head.

"Shit! Sorry. When I get pissed-."

Her husband looked confused, before rolling his eyes in realization.

"You did it again?"

"What? You don't even notice when I do it. And I only do it when we argue."

"And that never happens. Come one Danny-." Jordan rolled her eyes and started to say something when she caught sight of the boss wandering into the room.

"Which is why **JACK** here is in charge of hotel security and you are incharge of the casino." Ed says loudly from the door way. "So what's the problem?"

"Crossover." They mumbled.

"We've got a thing with people getting buzzed into the hotel who don't belong there. It's happend three times this week. The codes are coming from Casino employees." Woody explained.

"Which makes it my problem. It's my casino." Danny hissed.

"It's my hotel!"

"Actually it's my hotel and my casino." Ed said slowly.

Both men looked down and Jordan crossed the floor and put her hand on Woody's arm.

"Can the alpha male thing rest for the night? It's my aniversary and I finally found a babysitter who is not a black jack dealer or pole dancer."

"Who?"

"Sam." She waited.

"Samantha is watching our children?" Woody squeeked.

"It's almost bed time." Jordan laughed. "Which means its way past dinner time.."

"Yeah.. you two get out of here. I'm sorry I.. you know with the name thing...You'd think after five years I'd.."

"I mess up all the time." Jordan mumbled looking remorsefully at her husband.

"Pronouns. I use a lot of pronouns." Woody snickered.

"Now.. **She** and **I **are going out." Jordan shook her head at him. "And Danny, it's a casino problem more than a hotel problem.. let me know if you want my help.. until then you can be the lone alpha."

"Thanks Jack. Happy aniversry Amy." He stressed his use of their first names with a nod as Jordan pulled her husband out towards the ballroom.

"Five years is a long time." Woody whispered in her ear. "It seems like.."

"Another life ago." She told him before pushing the door to the dance club open. "Still think you made the right choice, Farm Boy?"

"Are you happy?" He asked her moving his face closer so she could hear him over the crowd. She nodded at him biting the edge of her lip in a sly smile. "Then I'm sure I made the right choice."

"Dance with me?" She breathed.

"How can I refuse." He pulled her close to him before swinging her away again. "Good Song." He looked meaningfully at her. "Very us."

_This Love_

_I was so high I did not recognize_

_The fire burning in her eyes_

_The chaos that controlled my mind _

_Whispered goodbye and she got on a plane _

_Never to return again But always in my heart_

_This love has taken it's toll on me _

_She said goodbye too many times before _

_And her heart is breaking in front of me _

_I have no choice cause I won't say goodbye anymore_

_I tried my best to feed her appetite _

_Keep her coming every night _

_So hard to keep her satisfied _

_Kept playing love like it was just a game _

_Pretending to feel the same _

_Then turn around and leave again_

_This love has taken it's toll on me _

_She said goodbye too many times before _

_And her heart is breaking in front of me _

_I have no choice cause I won't say goodbye anymore_

_I'll fix these broken things Repair your broken wings _

_And make sure everything's alright _

_My pressure on her hips _

_Sinking my fingertips _

_Into every inch of you _

_Cause I know that's what you want me to do_

_This love has taken it's toll on me _

_She said goodbye too many times before_

_And her heart is breaking in front of me _

_I have no choice cause _

_I won't say goodbye anymore_

They danced. Oblvious to what was happening upstairs.

* * *

**Sam's POV**

In their suite where Sam had been trying to remember what had made her decide she was capable of watching two small children, someone rang the door bell.

She ploped Ellie into the play pen and glanced over to where Andrew sat in footy pajama's with his train set before wandering towards the door.

She looked through the peephole and scrunched her eyes up at the bell hop out side the door before pulling it open.

"I didn't order anything." She rolled her eyes in annoyance.

"I'm looking for the Hoyts?" He said glancing down at the order in front of him.

"They're not here. I'm babysitting." She muttered absently before she felt a rush of cold shoot through her body.

_The Hoyts_.

She made a move to close the door but he was already too far in to the room. He knocked her unconcious before she could even scream.

To be continued... In "The Reason"


End file.
